Registration of printing elements on printing presses



June 13, 1967 R. G. FIELDING 3,324,759

REGISTRATION OF PRINTING ELEMENTS ON PRINTING PRESSES Filed Feb. 20, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 13, 1967 'R. e. FIELDING REGISTRATION OF PRINTING ELEMENTS ON PRINTING PRESSES 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 7 Filed Feb. 20, 1962 QUE June 13, 1967 R. G. FIELDING REGISTRATION OF PRINTING ELEMENTS ON PRINTING PRESSES Filed Feb. 20, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 June 13, 1 R. G. FIELDING REGISTRATION OF PRINTING ELEMENTS ON PRINTING PRESSES 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Feb. 20, 1962 Patented June 13, 1357 3,324,759 REGISTRATION OF PRINTING ELEMENTS @N PRINTING PRESSES Raymond G. Fielding, Lymm, England, assignor to Linotype and Machinery Limited, London, England, a British company Filed Feb. 24), 1962, Ser. No. 175,869 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Mar. 9, 1961, 8,685/ 61 8 Claims. (Cl. 8814) The present invention relates to an apparatus for facilitating the accurate location of printing elements on the plate cylinder of rotary printing presses, whereby for example, in two colour work accurate registration of a colour plate on the plate cylinder can be effected relatively to an artists layout or proof registered on the impression cylinder of the press, the plate cylinder and impress-ion cylinder being of the same diameter.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a Simple but accurate registration device which is easy to operate and readily portable.

According to the present invention there is provided apparatus for facilitating the registration of a printing press relatively to an artists layout or proof registered on the impression cylinder of the press comprising a manually portable housing provided with locating elements accurately to locate the housing relatively to the two cylinders, the housing containing an optical unit so arranged that images from both the printing element and the layout or proof will be superimposed for the observation of errors of registration therebetween.

In the accompanying drawings, which show examples of the registration apparatus according to the present invention;

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus positioned ready for use,

FIGURE 2 is a rear elevation taken on H FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a front elevation taken on III FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 4 is a bottom plan view,

FIGURE 5 is a schematic diagram of the optical system,

FIGURE 6 is a schematic side sectional elevation of another example of registration apparatus, and

FIGURE 7 is a front elevation of part of the apparatus shown in FIGURE 6.

Referring to the example shown in FIGURES 1 to 3 a housing, generally designated 1, has secured thereto a handle 2 to assist in locating and carrying the housing. The housing is provided with front and rear legs to which are secured locating pads. Both front legs 3 extend laterally of the housing, and the upper and lower faces of each pad at the end of each curve arcuately towards each other when viewed in side elevation, FIGURE 1. The radius of the arc of each pad face 7, 3 is the same as the radius of the impression cylinder 4 and the plate cylinder 5 of the printing press, the front legs thus locating comfortably into the nip between the cylinders.

The rear leg 6 also extend laterally of the housing, and the undersurface 9 of each pad at the end of each leg has an are equal to that of the surface of the plate cylinder 5 or plate 18 on which they rest. Thus the legs provide a firm supporting base for the housing, and at the same time, when the legs 3 are firmly pressed into the nip of the cylinders, an accurate location of the housing with respect to both cylinders, that is, a line drawn from the axis of rotation of the impression cylinder at 45 to a common line passing through the axes of rotation of both plate and impression cylinders, will intersect, at right angles, on the face of a dichroic film in the housing, a line drawn from the axis of rotation of the plate cylinder at 45 to the common line.

he surfaces 7, 8 and 9 of the pads may be detachable for replacement in the event of damage.

Alternatively or additionally the surfaces of the pads 9 may have secured thereto shims 41 to accommodate for different thicknesses of printing plate; the shims 41 may be magnetically attached to the feet or may be attached by means of grub screws, not shown.

Positioned in two compartments ll 11 are light bulbs 12, 13 respectively. As hereinafter explained the lights illuminate the printing element and layout or proof. The lights may be of different colours either by a different gas filling, or by coating the glass of the bulb to provide an image contrast for comparison purposes or light filters may be interposed between the lights and the surfaces they illuminate, however, if a dichroic semirefiecting film is used, this will act as a two way colour filter.

The wiring for the lights has not been shown in the drawings. A socket St} is provided on the housing for connecting the wiring for the lights to a source of electricity. The electrical supply may be provided from the same source as that supplying the printing press motor, or if desired, the lights may be supplied from a battery pack with a lead to the housing. If desired a switch, not shown, may be incorporated in the handle 2 to control the lights 12, 13.

Each compartment 10, 11 is provided with a ventilating panel 14, 15 respectively, secured to bosses on the housmg 1.

The housing 1 has two apertures 16, 17. The aperture 16 is in the base of the housing, and will be above the plate cylinder 5 when the apparatus is in an operative position: the aperture 17 is in front of the housing and will be in front of the impression cylinder 4 when the apparatus is in the operative position.

Both apertures may be open or may be glass or like transparency closed to maintain the housing dust-tight.

Light from the lamp l2 falls onto the printing element, such as a printing plate 18 located on the plate cylinder 5 and is reflected from the plate through the aperture 1d into the optical system,

Light from the lamp 13 falls onto the layout or proof 1h registered on the impression cylinder 4 and is reflected from the layout or proof into the optical system.

The optical system is shown schematically in FIGURE 5. The image reflected normally from the plate 18 passes through a semi-reflecting film such as a dichroic layer 20 and then passes along the same optical path as that taken by the image reflected normally from the layout or proof 1%, which image is reflected through a right angle by the dichroic layer 2%, to pass to a prism 21.

Both images are reflected by the prism 21 through the emergent images being laterally spaced relatively to their entry path and the images reversed.

The combined images are again reflected through 180 by a second prism 22, laterally translated in a plane at right angles to that of the images from the prism 21 and reverses the images. From the prism 22 the combined images pass through an object lens 23 to a telescopic eyepiece 24 for observation by the operator of the apparatus, the images being reversed in the object lens to form a right reading image in the eyepiece.

To reduce the bulk of the housing the longer sides of the rectangular facing faces of the prisms 21, 22 are at right angles to each other.

The telescopic eyepiece Z4 is adjusted by means of a hand wheel 25, having a spindle 26 passing through a boss 27 on the housing. The spindle 26 has a pinion 28 secured to it, the pinion 28 engaging a rack 29 on the telescopic lens barrel.

The telescopic eyepiece may readily be replaced by others having lenses of different focal length so that varions magnifications of the combined images may be obtained.

The prism 21 is located in the housing 1 by locating pads 42; the prism 22 is likewise located in the housing 1 by locating pads 43.

When it is desired to use the apparatus on printing presses of a different size, to maintain the 45 angular relationship hereinbefore referred to, the legs 3 and 6 may be interchangeable; the legs being changed for longer or shorter legs. The interchangeable legs may be fastened to the housing by any suitable means such as bolts or screws 6a. Such leg changes may alter the focal plane of the apparatus, requiring movement of the object lens 23, as a result of which the changes in magnification will be compensated by changing the eyepiece 24. The object lens may be mounted in a manner similar to the mounting of eyepiece 24 and it may be adjusted by rotating hand wheel 250.

In the modification shown in FIGURE 6, the housing 1 of the previous example is replaced by a tube 34 to which are secured legs; the legs are identical with those of the previous example and are for the same purpose. A handle 35 is secured to the tube 34. The optical system varies in the present example in that there are no prisms 21, 22.

Images reflected from the layout or proof 19 and the plate 18 enter the tube 34 through apertures 36, 37 respectively and are combined by means of the dichroic surface 20 as in the previous example.

The combined images are then passed through a positive lens 31), to bring to focus the two superimposed real images, which images are projected through a field stop 31 to an erection lens 32 so that the combined images viewed through a telescopic eyepiece 33 will :be erect images. The telescopic eyepiece is similar to that of the previous example and the same reference numerals have been used to indicate its parts.

If desired, the erection lens 32 and field stop 31 may be removed. In this event the images will be inverted when viewed through the eyepiece 33. The eyepiece in this instance being moved to the position of the field stop 31.

Illumination of the layout and the plate can be effected by electric light bulbs 38 contained in chambers 39 on either side of the tube, light from the chambers being directed to their respective surfaces through apertures 40.

In both the foregoing examples, the operator observing the combined images of both the plate and layout or proof through the eyepiece can see whether the images are in register, and if not, can move the plate on the plate cylinder until such register is obtained.

In the foregoing examples a line drawn through the plate and impression cylinder axis is disposed at 30 to the vertical. The degree of inclination varies according to different makes of printing press; on many types of press there is no inclination, that is the impression cylinder is disposed vertically above the plate cylinder.

It will also be understood that the function of the two cylinders may be inverted on some presses, the plate cylinder not being under the impression cylinder, but uppermost.

What I claim is:

1. A portable apparatus for registering a printing element on the plate cylinder of a rotary printing press, said apparatus comprising, a housing, locating means secured to said housing including a forward member so shaped and positioned to fit into the nip between the plate and the impression cylinders of the press and a rearward member so shaped and positioned to rest on the lowermost cylinder of the press, a semi-transparent reflecting surface mounted within said housing in a position such that when the apparatus is located with said forward member positioned in the nip between the press cylinders and the rearward member resting on the lowermost cylinder said surface is equally spaced from a layout sheet mounted on the impression cylinder and a printing element mounted on the plate cylinder, said surface being further mounted that it reflects light received from the layout sheet along the same path as light transmitted from a corresponding section of the printing element, and optical means through which the reflected and the transmitted light passes simultaneously for Viewing the layout sheet and the printing element to determine when the printing element is in register with the layout sheet.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the rearward members of the locating means rest on a printing element placed on the plate cylinder and include removable shims that are interchangeable for printing elements of different thicknesses.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 including means mounted within the housing for illuminating the printing element and the layout sheet.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the illuminating means includes a first lightsource for illuminating the printing element and a second light source of a different color for illuminating the layout sheet.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the optical means includes a telescopic eyepiece which is removably mounted in the housing so that it can be replaced by a second telescopic eyepiece that provides a different magnification of the viewed areas of the printing element and the layout sheet.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the optical means includes an object lens for forming an image of the areas on the printing element and the layout sheet being viewed, and an eyepiece for viewing the real image thus formed.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the locating members include removable legs that may be replaced by legs of a different length whereby the apparatus may be used on presses having cylinders of a different diameter, and means for movably mounting the object lens in the housing for adjustment in accordance with the length of the aforesaid legs.

8. Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the optical means includes a first prism and a second prism for directing the path of the light from the semi-transparent surface to the object lens, the arrangement being such that the plane of the entrant path to and emergent path from the first prism is perpendicular to the plane of the entrant path to and emergent path from the second prism.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,470,176 5/1949 Lindgren et al. 88-14 2,638,032 5/1953 Kieffer et al. 88 -4 X 2,701,521 2/1955 Taylor 88-14 X 2,885,924 5/ 1959 Cahen 88l4 FOREIGN PATENTS 166,626 3/ 1959 Sweden.

OTHER REFERENCES Binocular Prism Magnifiers and Microscopes, E. Leitz Inc, New York, 1938 (page 5 relied on).

JEWELL H. PEDERSEN, Primary Examiner.

T. L. HUDSON, A. A. KASHINSKI,

Assistant Examiners. 

1. A PORTABLE APPARATUS FOR REGISTERING A PRINTING ELEMENT ON THE PLATE CYLINDER OF A ROTARY PRINTING PRESS SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING, A HOUSING, LOCATING MEANS SECURED TO SAID HOUSING INCLUDING A FORWARD MEMBER SO SHAPED AND POSITIONED TO FIT INTO THE NIP BETWEEN THE PLATE AND THE IMPRESSION CYLINDERS OF THE PRESS AND A REARWARD MEMBER SO SHAPED AND POSITIONED TO REST ON THE LOWERMOST CYLINDER OF THE PRESS, A SEMI-TRANSPARENT REFLECTING SURFACE MOUNTED WITHIN SAID HOUSING IN A POSITION SUCH THAT WHEN THE APPARATUS IS LOCATED WITH SAID FORWARD MEMBER POSITIONED IN THE NIP BETWEEN THE PRESS CYLINDERS AND THE REARWARD MEMBER RESTING ON THE LOWERMOST CYLINDER SAID SURFACE IS EQUALLY SPACED FROM A LAYOUT SHEET MOUNTED ON THE IMPRESSION CYLINDER AND A PRINTING ELEMENT MOUNTED ON THE PLATE CYLINDER, SAID SURFACE BEING FURTHER MOUNTED THAT IT REFLECTS LIGHT RECEIVED FROM THE LAYOUT SHEET ALONG THE SAME PATH AS LIGHT TRANSMITTED FROM A CORRESPONDING SECTION OF THE PRINTING ELEMENT, AND OPTICAL MEANS THROUGH WHICH THE REFLECTED AND THE TRANSMITTED LIGHT PASSES SIMULTANEOUSLY FOR VIEWING THE LAYOUT SHEET AND THE PRINTING ELEMENT TO DETERMINED WHEN THE PRINTING ELEMENT IS IN REGISTER WITH THE LAYOUT SHEET. 